For Mayor Bassett’s questionnaire responses, please note that the statements below, shown in RED, are some of SOS’s stated goals. Mayor Bassett copied these stated goals into his response and used them as discussion points in his response.
Question from SOS: Please tell us the ways in which your vision and goals align with those of Save Our Suburbs. Where do they differ from those of Save Our Suburbs?
Bruce's response: The mission statement, as stated on the SOS page, reflects the values I have always held and promoted throughout my tenure on the City Council and as Mayor--To preserve the well- being of our community, our residents, and our environment. Residents should be informed and energized by a positive vision for our future.
Language from SOS website: Help the community to become better educated on critical issues through communication and outreach. Bruce's response: Communication and outreach are essential. That’s why I advocated for televising and streaming Council meetings and School Board meetings. And why I championed the hiring of a city Communications Manager.
Language from SOS website: Ensure Sound Transit adequately compensates Mercer Island for the impact of losing the center lanes of I-90. Bruce's response: The 1976 agreement, as amended in 2004, calls for mitigation for loss of mobility. Our goal should be to maximize our mobility. Compensation implies cash payment. Cash doesn’t solve our challenges; we need to focus on the ability to move around easily by whatever mode of transportation we choose.
Language from SOS website: Ensure zoning codes in the Town Center are improved and updated to reflect the feedback that has been provided repeatedly to the City Council. Bruce’s response: I have a long record of engaging the community in discussions about the future of Town Center. I called for a review and update to our codes nearly two years ago. The subsequent public process, which has included dozens of public meetings, is all about learning what the community wants and coalescing that into a shared vision that will be represented in our new development code.
Language from SOS website: Help sustain the small businesses at the heart of the community by promoting a healthy Town Center. Bruce’s response: A local expert on retail placement has encouraged deeper analysis of the challenges faced by small businesses and I will be asking the Council to support this. We need a Town Center that works for our residents and for our business owners.
Language from SOS website: Manage density and growth in a way that preserves the character and small town environment consistent with our community. Bruce’s response: Mercer Island’s Town Center is in transition from a strip mall past to a mixed use future. Our decision (20 years ago) to put growth in our Town Center was the right decision to preserve the character of Mercer Island as a whole. For the Town Center, it means change, not stasis. Our challenge is to grown thoughtfully and gracefully into a vibrant, walkable town that is rich with a uniquely Mercer Island flavor.
Language from SOS website: Reaffirm Kite Hill as protected Open Space so it cannot be paved into a park and ride. Bruce’s response: Public opinion tilted heavily in favor of open space rather than parking for Kite Hill, and the Council quickly dismissed the concept to create parking there. At this point, there is no need for formal action to affirm that result.
Language from SOS website: Stop the development of a Sound Transit bus turnaround and/or depot. It would result in buses using the Town Center to turn around, idling, and would cause an increase in congestion and pollution. Bruce’s response: I have led the Council in rejecting every bus intercept proposal that Sound Transit has presented. I will continue to reject any proposal that negatively impacts Mercer Island. Vision for Town Center
As an elected member of the City Council, will you support zoning that allows four- and five-story residential buildings throughout most of the Town Center?
Mercer Island must abide by state law and continue to zone to accommodate our share of regional growth as defined by the Growth Management Act and the Countywide Planning Policies. The consequences of noncompliance (including millions of dollars of funds) simply outweigh the benefits to our residents. Mercer Island made a good decision 20 years ago in concentrating growth in the Town Center rather than in our neighborhoods or building in our open spaces.
Town Center is currently zoned in a way that can accommodate more growth than we are obliged to accept. That means we have room to push the buildings back from the sidewalks or require a wedding cake step back of upper floors or lower the maximum heights. Each of these changes alone, or in combination, would reduce the bulk and mass that we perceive and may find overwhelming.
Please provide an example, preferably local, of a town center that you will work toward emulating and why. Mercer Island is unique and should follow its own path. The 1994 vision has served reasonably well and now is the time to make course corrections and get specific about the features we want—a central public open space being the most important. I am not interested in making Mercer Island a copy of somewhere else.
As an elected City Council member, would you support having the City sponsor a survey or other formal process for determining what Islanders want for their Town Center? Why or why not? Public input is essential to developing a common vision of our future Town Center. I have supported City surveys and community input throughout my time on the Council. In early 2014 I called for a review of our Town Center building codes. In mid-2014 I voted in favor of assembling a citizen committee to address Town Center development. In late 2014 I voted in favor of an expanded community input process with a larger stakeholder group. I will work to insure a continued robust public input process as the Planning Commission and Design Commission work through the code changes that have been proposed.
Assume that you are on the City Council when the current Town Center building moratorium expires. Assume further that at the time of expiration, the City Council has not finished revising the City’s codes or updating its Comprehensive Plan. Would you support extension of the moratorium? Why or why not? I will support the moratorium until code changes are complete. Developers should operate to the new codes, not the old codes. There is no benefit to the people of Mercer Island in continuing the moratorium beyond the time when the code is complete.
What are your thoughts regarding density on Mercer Island and the regional push to add more density? We treasure our suburban neighborhoods and protect them by concentrating our growth in our Town Center.
As an elected member of the Council, are there any circumstances under which you would approve the siting of the Bus Turn Around on Mercer Island? If so, please describe those circumstances.
I have led the council in rejecting every bus intercept proposal that Sound Transit has presented. I will continue to reject any proposal that negatively impacts Mercer Island.
How would you vote on the Transportation LOS and why?
Both LOS and safety are important to our community.
The Level of Service standard reflects the ability of roads to accommodate motor vehicle traffic. It says nothing about how pedestrians and other street users are accommodated. Speedy motor vehicle trips come at the cost of higher danger and inconvenience to other street users. And the cost to install infrastructure to maintain the higher level of service means less money for other transportation improvements.
Our Town Center has experienced many changes over the past several years, and traffic and congestion have increased significantly. How will you respond to residents who are concerned that adding this density negatively impacts our City’s livability?
We are all concerned about the impacts of growth. The re-visioning process has brought citizens together to chart a path forward that best fits the needs and the unique character of our community.